Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Wednesday said she would only run for vice president with Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. after some allies paired her with other presidential candidates in the May 9 elections.
The daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte said she takes it as "a sign of confidence" in her leadership that she is being teamed up with Vice President Leni Robredo and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, two of the main rivals of her running mate.
"But I am a person, a woman, a leader who values commitment and word of honor. I am running for the position of vice president and my president is Bongbong Marcos," Duterte-Carpio said in a video message.
The Davao City mayor said that when they formed the UniTeam, she and Marcos agreed "to come together with the singular purpose of improving the lives of the Filipinos and making the Philippines a stronger country."
"I intend to honor the commitment of my party, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats and Hugpong ng Pagbabago—that is to support Bongbong Marcos as president," she added.
On Monday, a group of volunteers led by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda formally launched their campaign to support the tandem of Robredo and Duterte-Carpio, believing they are the best persons to lead the country.
Robredo's spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said that while the vice president was willing to work with Duterte-Carpio if they both win, she would stick with her running mate, Sen. Francis Pangilinan.
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